


Promises

by addiction1510



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Other, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 08:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4172313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addiction1510/pseuds/addiction1510
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gems all made promises to Rose before she gave birth to Steven, and now that she's gone, they're going to keep them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Promises Kept

The sun was sinking low on the horizon as the day ended. From their position on the statue’s hand, it was a beautiful sight. The rays reflected off the ocean, lighting up Rose’s face. If you were to ask Pearl, it was a more beautiful sight than the sun setting over the ocean. She had seen that enough times to grow bored of it after so long, though it did offer quiet and tranquility over the human world. She watched Rose smiling at the ocean, one arm over her swollen stomach. Over Steven.

Pearl did not resent Steven. He did not choose to be born. It was not his fault, and she would never- consciously- blame him for what was going to happen. Greg was another story. It was his fault she was leaving them. He was taking their leader away, just like he had taken their fence and security that came with it. It was all his fault, and she would always hate him for taking her away.

Rose’s voice snapped her from her angered thoughts, soft and warm as always as her eyes drifted from the simple beauty of Earth to her loving Pearl. “Pearl?”

“Yes Rose?” she asked after a moment, hoping she hadn’t been caught staring at her. She probably had been, and Rose would probably tell Garnet and it would end up with her being scolded because she thought she was trying to change her mind when really all she wanted was doing was appreciating what was going to be lost before too long.

“I want you to promise me something, for when I’m gone.” Rose’s eyes drifted back to the water, orange and blue with reflections of the simple light that splayed across it. Pearl followed her gaze, watching the sun slowly sink lower.

“Anything Rose,” she breathed after just a single moment of slight hesitation. Rose had never left her wrong before, and she wasn’t going to start now surely. Pearl never regretted following Rose for a single moment, and she wanted to let her go out with at least one thing constant in their lives since Greg had shown up.

“I want you to watch him for me. Care for him for me. I won’t be there to hold his hand for his first day of school, or kiss his scraped knees, or even hold him once, and I want you to do that for me. He needs someone to protect him, to teach him, a-and…” A fat tear bubbled in the corner of Rose’s eye as she talked, slowly rolling down her cheek. She had to stop for a moment to try and steady her voice, and Pearl took the chance to wipe it away while she could.

“I promise you Rose. I’ll take care of him for you, because you want me to.” Tears bubbled in the corners of her own eyes and she wrapped her arms around the larger woman tightly, not wanting to let go for fear of losing her too soon.

\--

She was the first person to hold him. She was beside her, holding her hand through it all, and Greg fainted. The little body was in her hands first, still glowing and pink. His piercing scream echoed through the temple, a little fighter already, and she instantly fell in love. She cradled him close, letting the tears run down her cheeks freely as she gazed upon what was left of their leader. Just the little gem tucked inside of a screaming baby boy, but he was her baby boy. He was Pearl’s, and even if he was Greg’s too, she had made a promise and Pearl kept her promises. Especially to Rose, and she would let her gem get cracked- get smashed before she let this little one get hurt.


	2. Leading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet makes her promise to Rose.

“Nice to see you again, Garnet.” Though the voice was warm and the message seemed nice, but there was more meaning to it than that. Ruby and Sapphire had split, and for a dark few hours, she hadn’t existed. It was always strange, to go from not existing to bursting at the seams with life, and this time had been no different on that front. The main difference now had nothing to do with her existence, but rather the lack of one that was coming forth and the new one that was forming.

“Rose.” She paused, pushed her glasses back on her nose, and then glanced at the leader of the Crystal Gems. Her arms were folded over her stomach, and she was looking at Garnet with warm eyes that said she understood her reaction. “How are the others?”

“Amethyst is… She’s not saying anything. I actually expected screaming more than silence, from the both of them. I couldn’t find Pearl in her room anywhere, and after you split…”

“It’s a hard thing to take in. A big decision, like when we decided to stay this way. Except… different. ” She paused again, looking at her hands. “We still have to split from time to time, because if not, we lose who we are. With Steven… There is no coming back, and that’s hard to take in. For all of us. Give us time.”

“I know, love. I fully intend to give you all your time. We have months before Steven is born. A little longer than a normal human baby actually, because without the extra time, he might not be able to handle the gem correctly or Greg could have a genetic disorder that carries on unless I take the time to fix it.”

“How long?”

“Eleven months more, at the latest. Nine at least.” Garnet hesitated, and she reached up to wipe her eyes. That was such a short amount of time compared to millenia together, and she’d be gone. Just like that.

“How far along are you now?” Rose was the one to hesitate that time, looking to her hands before sitting down next to Garnet on the stone hand so far above the water.

“Three months.”

“Why did you wait to tell us?” More hurt carried in her voice than she meant to, and it was hard at that moment to stay fused. The only thing keeping her together was Sapphire’s earlier words ringing her ears, two different sets of the same voice repeating the same thing.

“Because I wanted to make sure it was going to hold, and I wouldn’t lose him and worry you all for nothing. Garnet, can we please not focus on this right now? I want to talk to you, because once I’m gone, the other two are going to rely on you.”

“Why? Pearl is older than I am and your confidant. Amethyst is stronger than we are apart. We’re weak, and we can’t lead them.”

“Yes, you can. Pearl may be older and my confidant, but she doesn’t have your confidence, or your strength. Amethyst is stronger than your separate parts, but not you. She’s still young, and she needs guidance. You have to lead them, please Garnet, I’m begging-”

“You’re asking me because of my future vision. That’s it, isn’t it?” There was a moment of stunned silence and she grabbed her glasses, letting them faze away for now. Her eyes were her weakness, and Rose was the only one she really let see them.

“What?” For such a big woman, it wasn’t very hard for her to sound small. Her arms pulled Garnet closer, tugging her against her chest. At that moment, she remembered the first moment that Ruby and Sapphire had been made, and how the situation was almost one and the same. Anger bubbled up with tears that tore down her cheeks, and she wanted to punch something. Anything. “Garnet, you know you’re more than just… Just your future vision. That doesn’t define you. Nothing defines you but you.”

“How are we going to live without you?”

“You’ll manage. You’ll hold them together, I know you will. You love me, and I love you, but I have to do this. You’ll understand one day why I do what I do, but for now, I need you to promise me that you will take care of them. Be the glue, because I can’t be anymore. I’m tired Garnet, so very tired.”

“I… I’ll try Rose, but I’m not a leader.”

“It won’t be hard, my lovely little gems. Don’t be scared of being weak, because you aren’t. You’re one of the strongest gems I know, and nothing will change that. Steven is going to need you to show him the way, as will Pearl and Amethyst. Take their hands and lead them towards the right paths, because I won’t be there to lead any of you anymore.”

“Okay.” Her voice was small, soft, and so full of doubt of herself that she hated it. She hated this emotional crap, because it couldn’t just be fixed by punching things. Nothing she hurt was going to fix this, and she was scared. Violence wasn’t the answer for once, and it terrified her to think she was going to lose someone who held her so close to this miserable and stupid planet.

“You promise me you’ll lead my gems for me?”

“I promise, Rose.”

* * *

Pearl held him first. The terrifying shriek and the tears that followed were joined by sobs and strangled little cries of her name while she stared on. Amethyst tore away, into the temple, with tears on her cheeks. Their ballerina wasn’t noticing anything at that point, just the little boy she was holding, and it took all of Garnet’s strength to stay there. Watching now, she didn’t feel like a leader, but she had promised Rose. She was supposed to be leading them, but to what?


End file.
